Big Star
by Jillvalentine44
Summary: Captain Kylia Halen's crew just did a mutiny on her. She managed to escape alive, but will need Captain Jack Sparrow to help her get her ship back. They adventure together and try not to kill each other in the process. Summaries are hard - read the fic.
1. Kylia

Alrighty! Well, here's a new fic of mine! A fun new character! Yayyyy! Anyway, I certainly hope everyone enjoys it! PLEASE REVIEW!

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Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Disney or Gore or Johnny or anyone having to do with Pirates of the Caribbean (unfortunately). So don't sue me.

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Big Star

Rating: PG-13 for violence, piracy (duh)… a few pretty 'suggestive' situations and dialogue, and language

CHAPTER I: KYLIA

The night air was crisp in Tortuga. Mist swirled in the areas left undisturbed by the rowdy townspeople. Light shone from pubs and inns and sound radiated from them. The entire town smelled of rum due to the constant presence of scoundrels like pirates and bandits who never ceased their drinking. Besides the pirates and other criminals, whores, and barmaids populated the town. Tortuga was the place to go when you grew weary of robbing, killing, and plundering, and wanted to relax and drink and have some fun. Of course, pirates weren't just men; there were women pirates, rare as they may be, who also stopped off in Tortuga on occasion. One of these women pirates was Kylia Halen. She was down on her luck at the time, unfortunately, but wasn't the only famous pirate in town at the time. Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew of the Black Pearl were all enjoying their time in Tortuga. Jack longed for an adventure and was ready for an adventure and would welcome any offers for a journey.

"Hahaha!" Kylia laughed, pulling up her sleeve (it had been off her shoulder) as she left the room of the inn she had been in. "Yes, that's enough, you pirate!" She'd obviously just spent time with some pleasurable company… She was carrying a half full bottle of rum. She slumped down on the ground, laughing still, breathing in the crisp night air.

Jack was leaning up against the wall on the other side of the door Kylia exited from. She took a swig of rum and her expression changed from happy pleasure to annoyance. She muttered to herself inanely.

"Love you, Halen!" the man from the room called, laughing.

"Yeah, yeah… bastard…" she grumbled angrily. She looked at the rum in her hands for a few moments. Jack idly watched her. She angrily stomped her foot on the ground and started to chug the rum down. Within a few moments and one long chug, the rum was gone. "Damn…" She sat for a moment in thought and buried her head in her hands. She stood up and started to walk off (away from Jack). As she left, she smashed the bottle on the ground. Jack went back to watching people walk and swagger around.

Kylia turned the corner and made her way down the side of the inn. A door flew open and a pirate known as Anamaria, part of the Black Pearl's crew, exited and spotted Kylia.

"Hey, mate!" Anamaria greeted, going to Kylia. "Been a while! How are you?"

"Terrible." Kylia replied, rubbing her forehead.

"Why is that?" Anamaria asked, concerned.

"Suppose the word doesn't get around like it used to." Kylia said doggedly. "Mutiny."

"Oh, no…"

"Aye, remember my first mate? Thought he was my closest friend turns out that's not true." Kylia explained. "Basically, they left me on an island pistol with one shot and all that."

"How did you get off the island?" Anamaria asked curiously.

"Made a fire by rubbing two sticks together and then I burnt some crabgrass to make a signal fire." Kylia told her. "Luckily, a pirate ship came by and picked me up instead of a navy ship. Captain Cartel."

"So, what are you doing now?" Anamaria asked. "Do you have a place to go or a crew to join or something?" Kylia shook her head. "Oh… well… look, Jack's a nice guy. He'll let you stay with us."

"That would be great." Kylia replied. "I hate being helpless. Anything to get me back on my feet so I can get my Estrella back." They started walking to the Black Pearl. "I've never met Jack Sparrow before what's he like?"

"One thing: _never_ call him Jack Sparrow. It's _Captain_. _Captain_ Jack Sparrow. And… he's… interesting… Daft as a dog, but a good man altogether. He's really"

"No, no, what I mean is… is he handsome?" Kylia interrupted.

Anamaria laughed. "You'll see for yourself. "Oh, and by the way, don't make any indication that you're not pretty dominant. If you look dependant in any way, he might make you put out once or twice."

"Well, if he's handsome, maybe I'll volunteer." Kylia joked. They laughed.

They got to the ship and Anamaria gave Kylia the room next to hers the Pearl had _tons_ of rooms, many unused. Kylia decided to take a bath and prepared it. She soaked in the large wooden tub for a while and decided to go back to her room. She wrapped a towel around her and stepped out of the room running smack into Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Oh, sorry." Kylia said offhandedly. She looked up at who she ran into and realized how good looking he was. He had the most beautiful brown eyes she'd ever seen. "Oh, wow, I'm not so sorry." she said with a smile, holding out her hand to him. "Kylia Halen. Pleasure hopefully."

Jack raised an eyebrow interestedly and took her hand and kissed it. "Captain Jack Sparrow, Miss Halen. Certainly a pleasure from where I'm standin'." He noticed how beautiful this woman was. She had the most interesting eyes he'd ever seen. They weren't blue, but weren't gray. More of an icy gray blue. Beautiful. Her hair was cut short to chin-length (which curled out at the ends when it wasn't wet), and was brown with a reddish tint to it. Her skin was tan from spending so much time in the sun. She looked slim and fit and had very long legs; she was also endowed with a fairly large bust (which attracted Jack's attention at once). "Might I ask you why I'm graced with your company on my ship?"

'Wow, this guy is good.' Kylia thought.

"Well," Kylia began, "I'm an old friend of Anamaria's. I'm sort of down on my luck right now, so she said I could join your crew. I'm a hard worker I promise." Jack was counting on this, though, probably not in the same way Kylia meant it…

"Tha's righ' tha's where I know you from." Jack remembered. "I saw you outside _The Faithful Bride_. Looked pretty distressed."

"Aye…" she replied. "Well, you know how it is. You of all people do. I _used _to be captain of the beautiful ship Estrella Grande, but my crew did a mutiny. Left on an island to rot you know the story."

"Oh, I know _exactly_ 'ow that is. Terrible feelin'." Jack said. A moment of silence passed. "So where do you 'ail from, love?"

"New York." she told him, leaning up against the wall, ignoring the fact that she was dripping wet. "America was great. So strict about piracy, though. That's why I moved here."

"Ah, I see never been to America… too strict about piracy." he said. They laughed.

"Aye, their law system has some persistent jerks." Kylia added. "I think the price on my head in New York is the highest they've ever had."

"Oh, you must be proud." Jack told her, impressed.

"Very." she replied with a smile. "Well, it was nice meeting you." she said, stepping away from the wall. "Goodnight." she headed back to her room.

"Goodnigh'." he replied, watching her the whole way. She shut her door and he shook himself back into reality. He hurried to Anamaria's room.

"Oh, Jack." Anamaria said, glad to see him. "I wanted to tell you"

"Wait a minute I 'ave to say somethin' first." he stated. "It's about this girl…"

"Oh, Kylia… aye, well, she"

"Is completely gorgeous an' I'm thankin' you for bringin' 'er on me ship." he interrupted.

"Oh… oh, well, that's… good." Anamaria stuttered, glad he wasn't angry. "She's really a great person you two have a lot in common, you know."

"She's told me a bit about 'er. I like what I 'ear so far."

The next day, Jack went up on deck (incredibly early like captains do) only to find Kylia standing up on deck, watching the ocean.

"Mornin', Miss Halen." Jack greeted.

"Hey, Captain." she replied. "And call me Kylia."

"Kylia." he said, joining her at the ship's railings. "Tha's a different name what kind of name is it?"

"A good one, I like to think."

"Well, I mean"

"I know what you mean." she interrupted. "I don't know." She stared out at the ocean, the sun starting to rise. Contrary to the towel Jack saw her in on the previous day, she was in her usual garb: a white, loose pirate shirt that cut off at the lower waist, showing her midriff, black pants (worn around her hips with a brown belt) that tucked into brown, knee-high boots, and a dark blue tri-corner hat on her head.

"Level with me, darling." he piped in. "Did you join me crew jus' so you can get your ship back? Honestly?"

She looked at him. "Honestly?" He nodded. "Aye." She returned her gaze to the ocean. "I love that ship more than I've ever loved any man."

"Well, what say I 'elp you get your ship back?"

"I'm not sleeping with you." she stated bluntly.

"Well, I'm not askin' that I know what it's like to be missin' a ship." he told her, though, that did answer a question that had been burning in his mind. "I need an adventure I'm gettin' restless jus' sailin' around an' loungin' in Tortuga."

"Lounging, huh?" she asked quizzically. "Not enjoying all the possibilities?"

"No, definitely enjoyin' 'em, but bored of 'em." he replied.

"Bored of the possibilities!" she exclaimed. She paused for a moment. "Aye, me too… It's good to be on a ship again…" she sighed. "No matter how many 'possibilities' you enjoy, you can't really escape life. Last night, I really did try, but I couldn't stop thinking about how my ship is in the hands of someone else…"

"Ahh, I wasted ten years o' me life waitin' for the 'possibilities' to 'elp me fill me ship's absence. Never worked. …Can't say it wasn' fun, though."

"Oh, no, I'm not saying it isn't fun it's just not helping like I hoped it would." she said. "Ah, well. Life happens." She squinted out, looking at the end of the large pole that stuck horizontally out of the mast that supported the ends of the sails. "Looks like one of the ropes needs retying."

"Oh, really?" Jack asked, following her gaze.

"Aye I'll fix it." she said. She went to pole and climbed on top of it, inching to the end of it. She sat straddling it so she could tie the knot correctly. She retied the rope and looked back at Jack who looked almost a little tormented. She sighed. "Is that _all _that's on this man's mind?" she muttered. She cleared her expression and raised her voice. "Finished!" She climbed back on deck and brushed her hands off.

"Thanks." he told her.

"Anytime." she replied. "Thanks for the help with finding my ship. I'll give you 30 of the treasure I have on my ship for this."

"I can't refuse that." he said. They went to the dining hall for breakfast and came back up on deck. They set sail in cloudy skies. Jack and Kylia were at the helm discussing ship stuff when, suddenly, it started raining.

"Ah, rain." Jack said, holding his hands out to feel the rain.

Kylia stared at the sky. "Looks like a real storm…"

"Not big enough to drop canvas, though." Jack told her. The rain started to fall heavily and thunder and lightning came. Now it was a full fledged storm. Rain hit them harder and it began to be difficult to see. Jack's hands slipped off the helm and he fell over from the force of the storm. Kylia grabbed onto the helm in his stead and steered the ship for him. He kept trying to get up, but water continually splashed over on him and threw him back. He grabbed onto a rope so he wouldn't get thrown off the ship by the momentous waves.

She steered the ship for a good long time, until they escaped the storm. The crew breathed a collected sigh of relief when they escaped the storm. Kylia arrogantly leaned up against the helm, looking at Jack, who was still recovering from being thrown about so.

"You alright?" she asked, smiling.

"Fine." he replied, a little embarrassed, but trying to hide it. "I jus' got off my game a bit there… an' then I didn' want to ruin your fun."

"Sure." she said, tossing back her wet hair. "This ship steers funny I don't like it."

"'ey, the Pearl is perfect!" Jack retorted.

"Not as perfect as my Estrella." Kylia told him calmly.

"I don' even 'ave to see your crummy ol' ship to know that the Pearl is much better." Jack stated.

"Don't go there." Kylia stated. "You insult my ship, you insult me."

"Then I'm insultin' you."

"I hate you." she stated out of nowhere. "I officially hate you."

"Well, the feelin' is mutual, wench." Jack replied angrily.

"You want to settle this?" she asked, egging him on.

"I think I do."

"Alright I've got the perfect idea." Kylia told him. "We settle it with a little drinking game. Whoever passes out or gives up first loses."

Jack laughed. "Fine whatever floats your boat."

"That was a really bad pun, you know that?" she said, annoyed.

They went to the dining room and got out two bottles of rum. They sat down across from each other with some tin mugs. Kylia put her feet up on the table and relaxed back into her chair.

"You sure you want to do this, love?" Jack asked, pouring rum into the mugs.

"Of course." she replied, taking a mug from him.

"You seem like a pretty good girl you sure you can 'andle this?"

"Good girl!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Please! You don't seem to realize the extent of my piracy. My name isn't famous because I don't tell the people I rob who I am they don't know me in the first place, why spoil it? I've sacked seven major ports without getting a scratch on me. I steal, I lie, I cheat, I plunder, I deceive, everything you do, Captain. Besides, I can handle anything you dish out."

"Well, that remains to be seen." he told her. "I'll go first."

He chugged down the rum and gestured for her to do the same, which she did. This contest when on for a while. Kylia was getting a bit tipsy and Jack was close to passing out.

"You can't win, Chia, face it." Jack slurred.

"Chia, huh?" she asked. "I suppose you're winning, then, right? I mean, you must be more sober than I am."

"O' course I am!" he exclaimed. She smiled and chugged down more rum. He lifted his mug to her and started to drink his rum down. Unfortunately, that was the end of the line for him, he fell over backwards just as he was drinking the last drops and fell to the floor; out cold. She laughed and went to him.

"I think I win that one." she said, kneeling next to him. She looked at him for a moment. "As much as I hate you, I can't help but like you a lot…" They did have a lot in common and understood each other pretty well. Besides, he was completely gorgeous. Definitely someone she wanted to be around.

The next day, Jack woke up, still in the dining room. He sat up, rubbing his head. He was groggy from the hangover he was suffering and didn't want to stand up right away. He found a note placed on his stomach; he picked it up and read it.

'Don't insult my ship again. You were some competition yesterday, but no one beats me at drinking. Still, let's forget all that and try to get along. I can't say I don't enjoy your company.

Sincerely, "Chia"'

'Haha, I did say that, didn' I?' he thought. 'I suppose I enjoy 'er company as well… This should be an interesting adventure.'

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Done! Okay, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I had fun writing it. I like Kylia. She is fun! Okay, anyway, **_PLEASE REVIEW!_**

I LOVE YOU ALL!


	2. Too Good to Be True

Sorry that took so long to update, but it took a while to figure out what I was going to do! Also, school got in the way. School of doom! Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter!

Thanks a TON to Johnny'shumiliatedgrape, DemonicK, and psychotic kitten for reviewing! It means so much! I'm really glad you guys like it I write for you, you know! Anyway, hope I don't let you down!

BTW, DemoicK, in the last chapter when Kylia signed the note "Chia" it was because Jack had gotten really drunk and slurred her name and she thought it was funny. So yeah.

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CHAPTER 2: TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

Jack swaggered up on deck and looked around. Anamaria and Kylia were at the helm, talking.

"Well, Jack, how kind of you to join us." Kylia said patronizingly.

"The busy life of a captain, you know." Jack replied, smiling.

"Of course the captain is the official holder of the rum." Kylia stated condescendingly. "And what a fine job you're doing."

"Ha ha ha." he replied sarcastically.

"Well, while you were 'holding to your official duties,' we were deciding on where to go to get information about my ship." Kylia told him.

"Oh, tha's good." he told her. "Who's the man who stole your ship, again?"

"Philip Hart." Kylia said with spite. "Bastard… stealing_ my_ ship… Grrr!"

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Did you jus' growl…?"

"I think I did." she replied confidently. "Well, I was angry! …Shut up." She shook her anger off. "Well, anyway, we've decided, since the captain was indisposed, to go to Ciel."

"Oh, really?" Jack asked interestedly. "I 'aven' been to Ciel in ages…"

Ciel was a town about fifty miles away from Port Royal, along the coast. It was like another Tortuga, only toned down (just a bit). If a pirate is up to something, Ciel will know. Kylia remembered that Hart always loved to go through Ciel whenever he could, so maybe he'd been through there recently.

"Ciel always has the best rum in all the Caribbean." Kylia said. "It'll be great to go again. Reunite with old… acquaintances." she smirked.

"Aye, sounds excitin'." Jack added, smirking as well.

That evening, they docked in Ciel and went ashore. Kylia and Jack made their way (on their own, as the crew took their time) to _Boyd's Pub_. Kylia couldn't wait to see all her old friends again. She opened the door and grinned widely, seeing many people she knew…

"Captain Halen's back in town!" she yelled happily, putting her arms in the air as if beckoning everyone to hug her. Everyone looked over at her and registered who she was.

"Halen!" many people cried. Lots of men flocked over to her. Jack was shoved out of the way by Kylia's welcome party. After a little while, most of the men meandered away and Kylia was left with two of them (they were also the most attractive of the herd that had greeted her). Jack had sat down at a table near them, waiting for her. She was arm in arm with both of the men and went over to Jack's table.

"Oh, isn't it nice to be back in a friendly town?" she asked happily.

"Aye, it's great." Jack said flatly.

"Oh, Jack, go and enjoy yourself." Kylia told him. "I know _I_ won't be back at the ship until very, very late tonight. We're off right now to get a room."

"Well, I'm not seein' anyone I know…" Jack replied.

"Oh… well, everyone in Ciel deserves a good time. Right, boys?" she asked, looking up at the two men on her arms.

"Right!"

"Yeah!"

"You're welcome to join us." Kylia offered with a smirk. "Long as there's room. Goodness knows I can handle it."

"Well, er, thanks but no thanks. I'm not into that." he told her, a little disgusted. She shrugged. Just then, a man came up to them.

"Halen!" he exclaimed.

"Glass!" she cried.

"_Another_ man?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Oh, no, Glass is just a friend." she told him. "So, Glass, how are you?"

"Terrible!" Glass replied. "Hart damn bastard just left me here! Said I was complaining too much about the mutiny. I was on your side, Halen!"

"Oh, Glass, that's terrible that he did that." Kylia said. "So… he did go through here? Where is he headed!"

He sighed. "That's not my only problem… Look, Halen, I'm sorry to shove this off on you, but it needs to get done… I'll tell you where Hart is going if you'll do me a favor."

"And that would be?" Kylia asked.

"Robert Raphton kidnapped my daugher, Andrea." Glass said. "I need you to save her."

"Oh, Glass, I'm sorry, but I just don't have time." Kylia told him. "When I get the Estrella Grande back, I'll rescue her, but until then… I just don't have the time to waste."

"Halen, have some sympathy!" Glass cried. "Andrea's 17! You know Raphton's crew! She doesn't stand a chance! No, I'm not telling you a thing until you save my Andrea."

"Damn it…" Kylia mumbled. She sighed. "Where did Raphton go?"

"I don't know… but… he did rob someone just before he left town." Glass told her. "The old lady who lives in the big wooden house on the outskirts. She might've overheard them."

"When are we going to find the _time_ for all this!" Kylia cried.

"I don't know, Halen, but manage it." Glass said.

"Ohh…" she groaned despondently. "That means we can't even waste one moment… Sorry, boys…" They looked extremely disappointed, but left her and went on their way. "Well, Jack, it looks like we're off to old lady's house."

They made their way to the edge of town, Kylia grumbling the whole way.

"Damn it!" Kylia exclaimed, frustrated. "How many chances do I get?" Jack shrugged. "_Two_ men! _Two_ of them! Not many are willing to do that! _You_ wouldn't."

"Blech…" Jack muttered, disgusted.

"Please don't tell me you wouldn't seize the opportunity of two women at once." she said. "If you deny it, you're lying."

Finally, they came to the house and knocked on the door. After a few moments someone came to it, but didn't open it.

"Who is it!" the old lady yelled through the door.

"Erm, I'm Kylia Halen! I'm here to ask you about a man you've met!"

The door slowly opened and the old lady peeked out. "Who's that… that _man_ with you?" she asked.

"He's Captain Jack Sparrow." Kylia told her. The old lady squealed in fear and shut the door. "Hey! Hey, what's the matter!"

"He's going to rob me!" the old lady cried. "He's a notorious pirate!"

"No!" Kylia yelled. "No, we just want to ask you something! We are _not_ trying to rob you!" Silence… "Please, help us!" After a moment, the door opened.

"Fine… come in…" the old lady said. They came in and she shut the door behind them. "But I warn you: I have a loaded pistol."

"Erm, we hear you were recently robbed by Captain Raphton." Kylia told her. "We want to know if you might have overheard where he is going."

"That scalawag Raphton!" the old lady exclaimed angrily. "You know… I _did_ overhear something, actually."

"Oh, great! You're really saving my life, lady!" Kylia told her, relieved.

"But I'm going to ask you for a favor." the old lady added. "I want you to get something for me."

"I'll get you all the yarn you need to knit, granny, just tell us." Kylia pressed.

"Flattery won't work with me, dear." the old lady replied sarcastically.

"What do you know? A sense of humor." Kylia said.

"Yes… Anyway, in order for me to tell you where Raphton went, you need to get me my diamond back."

"Diamond?" Kylia asked. "What diamond?"

"I live on the edge of these woods, just _asking_ people who live in them to rob me." the old lady explained. "A man who lives in the forest, Leon Irons, robbed me a little while ago and stole my precious diamond."

"You have some rotten luck, lady, you know that?" Kylia added.

"I realize." the old lady replied bitterly. "I intend to move when I get my diamond back. Irons lives in a huge brick house in the forest. His last name is printed on the door. You _must_ get my diamond back."

"How're we supposed to find a little diamond in that huge house?" Kylia asked.

"Little?" the old lady asked. "No, no, it's the size of a fist." Kylia and Jack's eyes widened. They were thinking the same thing. If they didn't need information out of this lady, they'd just take the diamond and sell it themselves. "Please do this for me."

"Lady, we don't have time!" Kylia pressed. "Just tell us where Raphton is!"

"No, not until I get my diamond." the old lady told her adamantly. Kylia pulled out her sword and held it to the old lady's neck.

"Tell us now?" Kylia asked.

"Kylia!" Jack exclaimed, taking her sword from her. "You're a ruthless little wench, aren' you?"

"Well, it works, doesn't it?" Kylia asked.

"Look at this nice woman." Jack said, gesturing to the old lady. "Wha's she ever done to you? It's my personal rule to only rob people who deserve it and the government. Now, be nice." He looked at the old lady. "We'll get your diamond back for you, ma'am."

"Thank you." the old lady told him. She glared at Kylia.

They left the old lady's house and made their way into the forest. They finally reached the house and hid behind some trees in front of it, eyeing it for a way in.

"Oh, wait… Irons…" Kylia recalled. "That's right… Leon Irons! I knew the name was familiar!"

"Who is he?" Jack asked.

"I was pretty heavily involved with him for a while." Kylia told him. "Alright. I have a plan."

"I'm all ears." Jack said.

"Alright, I go in and distract Leon while you sneak in and find it." Kylia explained. "Let's see… you'll need to get inside somehow…" she stated, thinking. "Well… I've got it! Alright, I'll ask him to get me a drink or something and he'll leave the room. I'll hurry to the door and let you in and you'll… hide somewhere."

"An'… 'ow do I know where the diamond is?" he asked.

"Oh… right… Well, I'll ask Leon." she told him. "And you'll be listening in and go find it."

"It's worth a shot." Jack said. "If I get caught an' 'e kills me, my ghost is goin' to 'aunt you forever, I 'ope you know."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kylia replied. "Alright, here I go." She went up to the door and knocked on it. A few moments later, it was opened by a well built man with short brown hair and brown eyes; he was very good looking.

"Leon!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "Hasn't it just been _ages_!"

"Kylia…?" he asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't a girl visit an old flame of hers?" she asked innocently. "I was passing through and heard you lived here. Decided to pay you a visit."

"Well, it's, er… nice to see you." he told her. "Come in." She entered and he shut the door behind her. Jack ducked under the window by the door that was cracked open a little and spied on them.

"It's really nice to see you, too." Kylia said to him. "You look even more handsome than when I last saw you." He sat down on his couch and she sat down close to him. "There's just _nothing_ to do in town… I haven't been able to find even one _real_ man. Which is, of course, why I was so glad to visit you."

"This girl is good." Jack muttered.

"You wouldn't happen to have a little extra time to spend with a poor lonely girl, would you, Leon?" she simpered.

"Well, er, I might have a little while." he replied. "Yeah."

"You'd be crazy to say 'no,' wouldn' you, mate?" Jack mumbled.

She moved closer to him. "I'm just so tired of all the men in town. They don't know what they're doing. I missed you, you know."

"Then, why'd you leave me?" he asked.

"I'm a pirate, Leon, you know that." she reasoned. "I don't have time to just settle down with anyone. I mean, you're a bandit which is incredibly attractive and you usually stay put. I need the sea. Besides, all men really want is a good time, isn't that right?"

"Well, not really…" Leon said.

"Well, I'm offering you one now." she told him, moving her arm so her sleeve would slip over to reveal her shoulder. "Take me or leave me."

"Literally." Jack muttered.

"Well… I missed you, too, Kylia…" Leon said to her. "I suppose I wouldn't mind a little reunion."

"…Literally." Jack muttered again.

Kylia leaned over and kissed Leon. When it didn't end as soon as was expected, Jack timed it. Eventually, he lost count and just got disgusted watching. He wanted to clear his throat to get Kylia to hurry up, but he obviously couldn't do that. _Finally_, Kylia pulled away.

"You know what I could use to relax?" Kylia said to him.

"What?" Leon asked.

"A drink." she replied. "I would love a drink."

"Your wish is my command." he told her. "What kind?"

"Rum, of course. I haven't changed." she said. He smiled, nodding, and left the room. Kylia jumped up and hurried to the door. Jack was waiting there as she opened it and he entered. She shut it and he started to go in the same direction that Leon went. "No, not that way!" she whispered urgently. "Leon went that way! Go… upstairs! No, wait! Then you can't hear where the diamond is! Hide… under the desk!" She shoved him towards the desk that was near the couch and he scrambled under it. Luckily, you couldn't see him at all if you weren't right behind it. She rushed back to the couch and sat down, trying to look casual, just as Leon reentered the room.

"Here you are." he said, handing her a glass of rum. She downed it in one gulp and put the glass on the table next to her.

"You know what I heard, Leon?" she asked. He looked at her inquiringly. "I heard you have a _huge_ diamond that you stole from some old lady in town. Is that true? Because I just _love_ diamonds." she said, sitting, facing him, on his lap.

"Well, yes, it is, actually." he replied. "How did you know?"

"Oh, I heard it in town." she told him. "Where do you keep such a regal thing?"

"If you're thinking about stealing it, Kylia, you're"

"I would_ never_ do that." she interrupted. "It's yours fair and square. I don't steal from friends, anyway." Jack peeked around the corner of the desk. He could see what was going on, but Leon was facing a different way, so he couldn't see Jack. "So where do you keep it in a house this big? I mean, I don't know whether I'd display it or hide it."

"Well, I keep it in my room upstairs." he told her.

"Which room? I mean, is it at the end of the house or close to the stairs? I would be afraid someone would find it, so I'd probably put it somewhere near the end of the house."

"It's right next to the stairs. No one's stealing it because they'd have to get past me." he replied.

"That's true." she said. "It'd be impossible to get past you I remember how strong you are." She squeezed his arm, feeling his muscles. "And it looks like you still are! Wow."

"You haven't seen nothing yet." he replied, placing his hands on her shoulders and pushing her shirt sleeves down. One more tug and it was going to fall off… She smiled and he kissed her neck. She put her arms around his neck and looked over at Jack. She gestured for him to go and he nodded.

"Hurry up!" she mouthed to Jack as Leon kissed her chest, and he hurried up the stairs. Ugh. She had to kill time while Jack was upstairs looking for the diamond. She really didn't want to go to bed with this guy, but if Jack didn't hurry up… She leaned up against him and started to nibble on his ear. He ran his hands down her back to her backside. She rolled her eyes in annoyance but continued to play along.

'This guy does _not_ deserve my time. Or my talent.' she thought, kissing him. After a few minutes, Jack quietly hurried down the stairs and nodded to her, signaling that he'd gotten the diamond. She gave him a thumbs up and he hurried to the window on the side of the room. He opened it and it made a clunk.

"What was that?" Leon asked.

"I didn't hear anything." Kylia said, kissing him again. Jack hopped out the window and shut it.

'Now… what the hell do I say to get out of this?' she thought. '…Wait! I got it!'

"Oh, no!" Kylia exclaimed, pulling away from him. "I just remembered! I think my boyfriend is in town! I lost track of time and thought he was coming back tomorrow!"

"Well, so what?" Leon asked.

"He's a huge, overprotective man who could break your head in half!" she cried. "I don't want that to happen to you! I have to go!"

"Aw, Kylia…" he sighed.

"I'm saving your life, Leon! I really am!" she exclaimed. She pulled her shirt back up into place and jumped up. She ran to the door and opened it. "It was nice seeing you again!"

"You too…" he replied and she shut the door. Jack was hiding behind a tree and waved at her; she hurried to him.

"Alright, let's go." Kylia said. "See how easy that was?"

"I really didn' need to see any of it…" Jack told her as they hurried back to the old lady's house.

"Please. Like it's never been done to _you _before."

"I didn' say that I jus' don' want to see it if it's not bein' done to me." he replied.

They made their way back to the old lady's house and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" the old lady called through the door.

"Who the hell do you think it is!" Kylia exclaimed, annoyed. The door opened and the old lady peeked out. "We got the diamond."

"You did!" the old lady cried, opening the door. "How on earth…?"

"None of your business." Kylia told her, pulling the neck of her shirt closer to where it should be. "Give her the diamond, Jack." He nodded and pulled the diamond out of his pocket. He handed it to the old lady.

"Thank you." the old lady said.

"Now, where's Raphton going?" Kylia asked.

"Meadstown." the old lady surrendered. "He's going to Meadstown."

"Thank you very much and have a nice day." Kylia told her sarcastically, turning away from her. She grabbed Jack's sleeve and pulled him along behind her. They got back to the ship and were greeted by Anamaria. Kylia explained everything to her. "So we found out that Raphton is headed for Meadstown set our course. The wind is on our side take up the anchor and keep a sharp eye out for navy ships. I've got several towns' navies who want my head."

Jack cleared his throat she looked at him. "Can the _captain _get a word in 'ere? After all, it is the _captain's_ job."

She shrugged. "Sorry. Habit. Anyway, it was just a suggestion."

"I think I can 'andle it on me own." he told her. He looked at the crew. "Set our course for Meadstown! The wind is on our side! Take up the anchor and keep a sharp eye out for navy ships!" Kylia looked at him with an eyebrow raised. He looked at her and quickly looked away; he went up to the helm.

* * *

Alrighty! I hope to update fairly soon, but I've been sort of ignoring school lately... and I want to graduate... So, we'll see. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! If you get bored, feel free to check out my other fics! The order is listed on my profile page thingy.

PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. The Past and the Future

GREETINGS, ALL! Hello, yes, another chapter! Yay! Anyway, this chapter has a bit of language in it, but it's needed for the moment! Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

BTW, thanks to Johnny'shumiliatedgrape for reviewing so nicely in the last chapter! YAY!

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CHAPTER 3: THE PAST AND THE FUTURE

They sailed for several hours, headed to Meadstown, when they came upon trouble. Kylia had been standing at the end of the ship, keeping watch, when she saw a ship in the distance. She grabbed onto a rope and hopped onto the railing, looking out at the vessel. The ship flew a red flag with a black X on it. She jumped down on deck and ran up to Jack at the helm.

"Jack, there's a ship straight ahead." she told him.

"I know." he replied.

"Well, are you going to do anything about it?" she asked.

"Why should I?" he asked her.

"Because… Do you realize who that is?" He shook his head. "The red jolly roger with the black X." He shrugged. "It's Jonathan Xavier!"

"Oh…" Jack mumbled. "Well… is that a problem?"

"Have you met him?"

"No…"

"Then you don't know." Kylia stated. "He robs every ship he passes and… has a bit of an infatuation with me."

"Why, you rude, rude girl?" he joked.

"Shut up I hate you." she told him (she was kidding). "Look, I know how to deal with this let me give the orders for a minute."

"'ey I"

"No, Jack, you don't know what this guy is capable of…" she interrupted. "I realize this is the legendary Black Pearl, but his crew is powerful and… don't run the risk…" He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. "And I know it's not fun to let someone else take over, but you'll thank me. I promise."

"No!" he objected obviously.

"Jack, please!" she begged.

"No!" he repeated.

"Jack!"

"No!" he exclaimed. "Wha's in it for _me_?"

She thought for a moment. She _had_ to do something. "Fine." she surrendered. "Let me give the orders just to get us out of this situation and I'll sleep with you."

He blinked but considered her offer. "…Really?" She nodded. "Well… I don't know…"

"I'll shiver your timbers so hard you'll never look back." she pressed. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"The situation's yours, captain." he surrendered, bowing respectfully to her.

She sighed in relief. "Hey! Listen up, everyone!" she yelled. "We're coming up on Jonathan Xavier's ship! The man robs every ship he passes! If we don't let him get near us, he'll have to pass us by!" The crew were all listening carefully. "So run out the sweeps and load the cannons!" They all looked at Jack for confirmation.

"Do as the lady says, you scabrous dogs!" Jack ordered. Kylia glanced at him, but he didn't see it. No one ever called her a lady… they usually called her pirate scum… The crew scattered out on deck and obeyed Kylia's orders.

She gazed out at the ship intently, fidgeting with something with something on her belt. Jack hadn't noticed before, but she had something he couldn't see tied to her belt with a leather string.

"What's that?" he asked, motioning to the object. She glanced at him and then down to her hand which grasped it.

"Oh." she said, holding it up a little so he could see it. "Panther claw. It's a good luck charm of sorts. Superstitious pirate, you know."

"Oh, aye, I know I definitely know." he replied. "Is there a story behind it?"

"Well, er, let's see here…" Kylia mumbled, recalling the story. "Oh, aye. Well, it was when my crew and I traveled to Africa. We were tracking these French treasure hunters who we later caught and robbed completely. They took the treasure ashore and we followed them. On our way, we came across this panther that was caught in some kind of trap. My crew didn't care, but I tried to help it." She continued to stare out at the ocean. "When I approached it, it snapped at me and lashed out, so I stood back and shot the hinge that held the trap together. Well, the trap fell apart and the panther limped off, but it was alright. I went over to the trap and looked at it. It seemed that the panther had tried to free itself and one of its claws had gotten caught and been ripped out. I don't know why I wanted to save that panther so much, but… I realized how merciful it was… so I… keep the claw with me to… well, remind me to keep that mercy as a priority."

"That's a beautiful story, darling." he told her, impressed. "Wow, tha's great." She smiled, but kept her eyes fixed on Xavier's ship in the distance. "I've met very few pirates who think mercy is a priority. Wouldn' 'ave taken _you_ for one."

She snickered. "Aye, no one ever does." She glanced at him. "Do I really seem that tough?"

"Well"

"KEEP THE SAILS UP TIGHT!" she ordered loudly to the crew. "YOU WANT TO BE EUNUCHS! GET ON IT!" She looked back at him. "Sorry."

"I think you answered your own question, love." he told her.

She sighed and returned her gaze to Xavier's ship. "I'm not really that tough. It's an act, really. If you're tough, then you won't get stepped on." She blinked, realizing what she'd just said and looked at him. "You'll tell no one what I just said and you'll still respect me, got it?"

"O'-o' course." he replied, being caught a little off guard. "You 'ad me respect when you told me that mercy story." She smiled and looked back at Xavier's ship. "Chances are you're not goin' to lose it."

"…I hope not." she mumbled.

Finally, they came upon Xavier's ship. Jack had tried to steer the ship out of the way, but Xavier's ship still came upon them, turning sharply and heading straight for them. Jack turned the wheel as much as he could, but it still didn't help. Xavier's ship plowed into the left back end of the Pearl.

Jack took the blow as if someone had driven a ship into his own back end. He yelled and babbled about his ship, panicking. Kylia placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and hurried to the back of the ship.

She surveyed the damage and realized that Xavier's ship had hooked onto the Pearl and was now stuck. Kylia ran to Anamaria and dragged her up to the helm.

"Xavier's ship hooked onto the Pearl aft on the stern," she explained to Anamaria on the way to the helm, "I need Jack you'll have to steer." They reached the helm; Jack was panicking. "Jack, come with me let Anamaria steer." He reluctantly let go of the wheel and Anamaria took it. "Alright, we'll be able to unhook from them if you steer in a starboard circle. Sharply." She grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him to the edge of the ship. "Get out your pistol." she told him. He obeyed; she got hers out as well.

"Halen!" Xavier cried, going to the front of his ship. "What the hell are you doing on the Black Pearl!"

"None of your business!" Kylia yelled back.

"Well, I'm going to raid your ship, alright?" Xavier yelled. "If everyone cooperates, no one will get hurt!"

"Damn it, Xavier!" she cried. "This is one ship I'm not letting you raid! Captain Sparrow happens to be a personal friend of mine!"

"If it were anyone but you, you'd be dead right now for saying that!" he told her. "But seeing as how you left me so abruptly, I'd be glad to let you make an even trade!"

"An even trade?" she asked.

"Oh, you know I still love you!" he yelled. "Just one night! Come on!"

"No!" she yelled back. "I've seen enough of you, Xavier, now get out of my sight!"

"Well, if you're going to act like that, then I'll just have my men raid your ship."

"I'm not letting that happen!" she exclaimed. Mr. Cotton was rushing by them, and Kylia caught his arm. "Mr. Cotton, muster much of the crew to prepare for a possible attack." she whispered.

"Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!" Mr. Cotton's parrot squawked and he rushed off.

"You think you're the big shot of the ocean, Xavier, but you're still just a little boy!" she yelled.

"You know, Halen, I hear you ran into a bit of trouble with your crew!" Xavier yelled back. "Hart did a mutiny, aye? Tsk tsk. I've heard so much about your past as of late! Who was it ten years ago? Anthony Schram?" Kylia faltered and Jack noticed. "Me best friend at the time and you killed him!"

"He deserved it, the bastard!" she screamed. By this time, the crew started to gather.

"He only did what I would've done!" he yelled back. "Said you screamed like a banshee, though!" She scowled. "I would've loved to have been there! Would've, too, if I hadn't got held up in England! Someday, Halen, you're going to get the same thing from me! Never even gave me a chance!" Jack thought he saw Kylia's eyes water, but he couldn't be sure… She clenched her fists in anger, gripping her pistol tightly. "No, I'm going to do worse than Schram did!" She let out a small scream of anger and pointed her pistol at him. "I'm going to rip you and make you cry until your screams run out, you little slut!"

"Fuck you, Xavier!" she screamed. "Fuck you!" He laughed at her and she pulled the trigger the shot went straight into his groin. All the men on both ships let out grunts of shock and looked away. "Live with that, you bastard!" Xavier fell to the deck of his ship, writhing and yelling in pain.

Just then, the Pearl got free of the other ship and they started to sail off. Kylia put her pistol away and pushed her hat down lower on her face to cover her eyes. She hurried off deck and went downstairs to her room. Jack looked concernedly after her, but didn't pursue her. Whatever was wrong, he was pretty sure she wanted to be alone. For a little while, anyway.

After an hour, Jack decided to go and check on her.

"Kylia?" he called, knocking on her door.

"What!" she called back. She sounded distressed.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Why?"

"Because I want to talk to you." he replied.

"I don't want to talk." she stated.

"You'll explode if you don' talk, sweetheart." he said.

"Then let me die in peace."

"Kylia, open the door!" he exclaimed.

"Damn it, Jack, just go away!" she cried.

"Tha's it as captain, I order you to open the door now!" he yelled. She sighed in annoyance and opened her door.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, can I come in and talk to you?" he asked.

"Don't have much choice in the matter, do I?" she replied bitterly and went back to lying down on her bed. He closed the door and sat down in a chair near the bed. "Well, captain, what do you want? You want to laugh at the supposedly tough-as-nails wench who's been crying over some stupid man's words?"

"O' course not." he stated. "I think you need to talk about this."

"Since when the hell did you get so sensitive?" she asked, irritated.

"You're so difficult, you know that?" he said and sighed. "Look, you'll feel better if you tell someone what 'appened, alrigh'?"

"Aye, I'm sure." she scoffed. "So you can go back to Tortuga and tell everyone what really happened to me?"

"Kylia…"

"Everyone will finally know how poor Kylia Halen got fucked over by some bastard in Tortuga when she was only fifteen!" she cried. "The secret's out everyone go gossip!"

"Kylia, stop it!" he yelled. She shut her mouth and looked away from him resentfully. "You're so paranoid! No one on this ship is out to get you! You know Anamaria you trust her. She trusts us an' you should, too." She started to say something, but he cut her off. "Don' interrupt me." She sighed in annoyance. "Now, look, you need to start openin' up to people. Great comin' from me, I know, but even I 'ave a certain level of trust with me friends." She looked at him. "It's like when you 'elped the panther. Everyone needs to be 'elped sometimes."

"What makes you think _I _need any help?" she asked.

"I can see it in your eyes." he replied. "You're not so cold, Kylia. You're a sweet girl. You jus' won' show it." She stared at him for a moment, then turned over on her side, away from him.

"There's not much to tell." she said. "I was fifteen, my parents had just died. I was really trusting because I didn't know what to do. Then it happened and I decided to stop trusting people. Not before I shot Schram, though… Got a pistol and blew his brains out… I eventually worked on a ship, made my way up to first mate. We raided a ship and had enough money to get a ship built. That's when I got my Estrella Grande… I was twenty…" She smiled at the happier memories. "My captain gave the ship to me… He told me I deserved a ship like that. That I had a passion for the ocean like few he'd known… He died shortly after the Estrella was built… but his spirit is weaved into every fragment of it… My crew were pirates, sure, but good people. We made it a point never to kill people unless we had to. We'd only rob people who didn't need what stole…" Her smile faded. "And then Hart decided to do a mutiny and now I'm here miserable as hell."

"I don' want you to be miserable. You shouldn' 'ave to be." he told her. "I know what it's like to lose a ship. I'm tryin' to 'elp, you know. You could try an' enjoy your time 'ere."

"My ship is half of my heart, Jack, I can't just forget it."

"I suffered for ten years without the Pearl, Kylia, you keep goin' and get 'elp where you can get it." he said.

"Aye…" she trailed off guiltily. "Look, I'm sorry for cursing so much… and… so severely. I do that when I get really, really angry. It doesn't happen that often, anyway, so don't worry about it…" She sighed and turned over on her back. "I just don't understand why you care."

He stood up and went to her. "Because you shouldn' 'ave to suffer alone." he said, running a finger along her jaw. He turned and left her room.

That night, they docked in Meadstown. Kylia and Jack went ashore and looked around the harbor. The crew went out to get supplies for repairing the ship. Finally, they spotted Raphton's ship.

"Alright, what do we do?" Kylia asked. "It doesn't seem like we can bargain for Andrea's life… And I don't know Raphton personally, so I can't possibly do what I did with Leon…"

"Why don' we jus' sneak on?" he suggested. "We can jus' climb through one of the windows an' go down to the brig."

"We don't know the way around the ship how are we supposed to know where the brig is?" Kylia asked.

"The brigs are always the on the lower levels, aren't they?" he replied. "So we'll jus'… explore the lower levels…"

"What if we get seen?" she asked.

"Then you say you're a whore who Raphton's been seein'"

"Thanks. Thanks a lot." she interrupted. "And what excuse do you give? 'Oh, you didn't know? I'm a male whore Rapthon's been seeing.'"

"Oh, shut your mouth." he stated, annoyed.

"Got a better alibi?" she asked.

He paused. "…Well…"

"Aye, that's what I thought."

"No, wait I'll jus' go aboard and say I'm Captain Smith. I'm in town an' jus' wanted a friendly word with Raphton. Fellow pirates an' all."

"I don't know…"

"It'll work don' worry about it." he said. "I'll keep Raphton busy on deck and you can find the girl."

"Well, alright." Kylia agreed. "Let's go."

They made their way over to the ship and Kylia ducked behind some barrels. Jack went aboard and was going to distract anyone who was on deck. When Kylia could sneak aboard, Jack would sneeze as a signal. There were two men on deck as it were and Jack approached them.

"'ello, gentlemen." Jack greeted. "I was jus' in town an' 'eard Captain Raphton was 'ere."

One man stepped up. "I'm Captain Rapthon and who are you?"

"Captain Smith or Smithy, if you like." Jack said. "I've 'eard stories about you for years on end. Thought it would be an honor to meet you."

"Well, that's nice to hear." Rapthon replied, rather flattered.

Jack kept up a conversation with Raphton and the other man, eventually getting them to turn away from where Kylia was to sneak aboard. He sneezed as a signal. She peeked around the barrels and slowly snuck aboard, darting behind objects as she went. Finally, she was able to get below deck. She started to make her way down to the lower levels when she heard screaming. She followed the sounds and found herself in front of a door marked "Captain." She tried the doorknob, but it was locked. Finally, she just kicked the door down and burst inside. There was a girl tied to a bed being exceedingly violated by a man lying on top of her. The man looked over at Kylia and she pulled out her sword. He quickly got up and went to her.

"'oo the 'ell are you?" the man asked harshly.

"The last thing you'll ever see." she replied and plunged her sword into the man's face. The girl let out a small yelp in surprise and the man fell to the floor. Kylia kicked the man's body aside and went to the girl. She wiped off her sword with a sheet.

"Th-thank you…" the girl stuttered, crying.

"Hey, it's no fun being in that situation." Kylia told her, cutting the ropes that confined the girl. "I know what it's like. You're Andrea, right?"

"Yes." Andrea replied, nodding.

"Your father sent me." Kylia said, as she finished cutting the ropes.

"Wh-what's your name?" Andrea sobbed.

"That's not really important right now." Kylia replied. "Come on, follow me." Andrea nodded and they left the room. "So how did all this happen to you?"

"Well, I was… h-having a few issues with my parents and I-I just… I don't know, I th-thought I trusted Raphton and…"

"Did he…?" Kylia asked. Andrea sighed and nodded. "And you trusted him?"

"Well, I just… didn't kn-know what to do…" Andrea told her. "He told me I wouldn't… have to worry and that I could join his crew…" Kylia didn't say anything.

'_My ship is your ship. I'm glad to help.'_

_'That's very kind of you. My parents didn't leave me with anything, so I didn't know what to do…'_

_'Well, you don't have to worry. You can trust me.'_

_'I, er, I'm pretty sure I can help. I've been on lots of ships and know lots of strategies for attack and all that.'_

_'That's not what I had in mind.'_

_'Wh-what are you talking about?'_

_'You're so beautiful nearly perfect form.'_

_'Let go of me!'_

_'You've never done it before, huh?'_

_'Stop it!'_

_'Just relax enjoy it.'_

_'NO!'_

Kylia clenched her fists in anger. "He told you that? He actually told you that?"

"Yes… I hate myself for trusting him…" Andrea told her, recovering.

"It's not your fault." Kylia pressed. "It's not your fault at all. It's his fault. There's nothing keeping me from killing him for you. Would you object?"

Andrea paused. She shook her head and sniffled. "Kill him. Go ahead. Keep it from happening to anyone else." Kylia noticed that Andrea was holding her lower stomach in pain.

"How can I say no?" Kylia said, pulling out her pistol. They went up on deck and Jack was still talking to Raphton and the other man. Raphton spotted Kylia and Andrea.

"Hey!" he yelled angrily.

"Don't move don't make a sound or I'll shoot." Kylia ordered. "Smith, kill that one." The man looked around frantically and stared at Raphton, waiting for him to do something. Jack shrugged and pulled out his pistol. "Kill him."

"No, sweetheart, I don' throw lives away." Jack said and knocked the man out with his gun.

Kylia sighed in annoyance and went to Raphton. Andrea followed, holding her stomach the whole time. Kylia looked back at Andrea and then to Raphton. "You son of a bitch who the hell do you think you are, thinking you can go around doing whatever you want regardless of who you hurt!"

"Hey, look, if it's money you want"

"Oh, no, no." Kylia laughed. "No, I just want… retribution for those who deserve it." She held her pistol to his head. "People like you have got to learn that it's not alright to do things like this it's not alright."

"Woah, don't"

"Shut it." Kylia ordered. "Andrea, look away." She obeyed.

"No, no, no!" Raphton cried.

"Your sins won't go unpunished. I'm just… speeding up the process." Kylia told him. She sighed in annoyance. "When will men learn?"

"Please…" Raphton begged.

"Did you listen to this poor girl when _she_ said please? I don't think so."

"Wait"

BANG! Raphton fell to the deck, head blown to bits. Kylia scowled down at the corpse and put her pistol away. She wiped at the blood on her face, but it didn't come off."

"Come on someone has to have heard that." Kylia said. "We'll have to run."

"Oh, I don't think I can run…" Andrea said reluctantly.

"Jack, carry her." Kylia ordered. Jack nodded and picked Andrea up. Suddenly, five crewmembers hurried on deck and spotted Raphton's body. "Bugger! Run!" They dashed off the ship. "We can't go back to the Pearl they'll see us, first of all, and it needs repairs so we can't leave now!"

"Righ'." Jack agreed. "Let's jus' run into town." Kylia nodded and they ran into town. Eventually, they lost Raphton's crew, but still needed to hide. They spotted a barn and ducked into it. Jack put Andrea down and sat down to catch his breath. Andrea sat down as well. Kylia went to a bucket of water and washed Raphton's blood off her face.

"We'll go back to the ship a few hours after midnight." Kylia stated, drying her face off. "After that we can't be seen on deck just in case. That includes you, Jack."

"Aye, I know." he sighed.

"Well, Raphton's dead." Kylia concluded, sitting down next to Jack. "Thank goodness. Scum like that deserve to die."

"Erm, thank you for rescuing me." Andrea piped in.

"Oh, you're welcome." Kylia told her. "Glad I could get you away from that guy." Kylia took a deep breath and flopped on her back in a stack of hay.

After about an hour, Kylia started to get drowsy. Andrea noticed Kylia's exhaustion and spoke up.

"Hey, I'm, er, I'm not really feeling like I can get much sleep." Andrea stated. "You two can doze off for a while if you want."

"Oh… are you sure?" Kylia asked.

"Of course. Don't worry, I won't fall asleep." Andrea replied.

"Well, alright… thanks." Kylia said.

"Aye, thanks, sweetheart it's been a long day." Jack told her.

A little while later, Jack and Kylia both fell asleep. About half an hour after that, Kylia woke up and realized something… She was holding Jack's hand… Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't move. How did that happen! For a moment, she was tempted to stay that way she felt comforted… No. She didn't need anyone… Did she? She looked over at him: he was sound asleep. She glanced over at Andrea and she was gazing out the window. She looked back at her hand and thought for a moment. Her eyes softened, but returned to their sharpness as quickly as they had first changed. She let go of his hand and turned on her side, away from him. She sighed and went back to sleep.

Not too long after, Andrea woke them up and they all started on their journey back to the Pearl. They arrived there without any trouble. They gave Andrea a room next to Kylia's and were to set sail the next day.

The next morning, the crew got up extremely early to do repairs. They worked as hard as they could and were able to set sail back to Ciel that afternoon.

They sat in the dining room, eating dinner and talking.

"You know, Mr. Sparrow, I was very impressed with how strong you were." Andrea told Jack. "I mean, all that running and carrying me at the same time."

"Oh, you 'ardly weigh a thing." Jack replied, clearly flattered.

"This is such a beautiful ship you have here." Andrea said, flipping her blond hair back.

"Thank you ' Jack told her. "You know, love, you 'ave very beautiful blond hair. Don' see it much lately since most o' me friends 'ave dark hair."

"Oh, why, thank you." Andrea stated. "And you're very handsome, you know. It's a nice change from Raphton."

"Tha's good to know." Jack said. "You're not so bad looking yourself. I"

"Should I leave you two alone?" Kylia asked, annoyed. They stifled and the rest of the meal was mostly quiet.

After dinner, Kylia pulled Andrea aside. "Look, Andrea, I can see you're attracted to Jack, but it's not a good idea."

"…It isn't?" Andrea asked. "Why?"

"Well… I mean… the man can't hold his liquor. _I _out-drunk him." Kylia told her.

"That doesn't matter to me." Andrea replied, waving it off. "I don't really drink anyway."

"Damn." Kylia mumbled, but Andrea didn't hear it. "Well, er, he… oh! He once said that if he got the opportunity to be with two women at once, if you get my drift, he would jump at the chance!"

"…He said that?"

"Pretty much." Kylia told her.

"Oh… well, I didn't… realize…"

"Sorry." Kylia apologized.

Andrea gave up on trying to get closer to Jack. Kylia didn't know why exactly she didn't want Andrea to be involved with Jack, though…

They docked in Ciel that evening and they went ashore. They found Glass and he reunited with Andrea happily. After the reunion, they talked to him about finding Hart and the Estrella Grande.

"I know exactly where the Estrella is." Glass said. "They decided to break for a while at Shefton Island. You'll find them there."

"Really!" Kylia exclaimed. "Are you sure they're still there?"

"Pretty sure." Glass replied.

It was set. They would set sail for Shefton Island the next day. And they would finally get the Estrella back!

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YAY! Anyway, hope you enjoyed that chapter! Twas fun to write! Poor Kylia. Her past is pretty sad, huh:-( But anyway, hope you all enjoyed it! PLEASE REVIEW!


	4. Sacrifice

I'm finally back! Finally updating! Yes, yes. Writer's block is mean, but it's going away now. Here's a hint: don't be offput by things that may happen -- jumping to conclusions is unwise. Trust me! Okay, I'm trying not to give anything away, but any of you who know me, know my typical pairing. So if that kind of pairing is your bag of chips, then just wait -- all in due time!

Thanks SO MUCH to Johnny'shumiliatedgrape,iliveinmiddleearth, andElven-Roarior-Jeavrynfor reviewing! You guys rock!

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CHAPTER 4: SACRIFICE

The next day, Kylia stood by the helm next to Jack anxiously. Shefton Island… It wasn't too far from where they were. They'd be there in a few hours. She tapped her foot impatiently and sighed frequently. She stared at the horizon intently, hoping to glimpse the island, but… she couldn't see it -- just some ship…

"So… Kylia…" Jack began, glancing over at her, "remember what you promised a little while ago? Before our run in with Xavier?" She looked at him, trying to remember. "You said if I let you captain the ship, you'd…"

"Ohh, right." she recalled. "I'm not going to."

"What!" he exclaimed. "You promised!"

"I'm a pirate -- I lied." she replied obviously. He stared out at the horizon angrily. "_Come on_, are you suffering _that _much?"

"Does it turn you on?"

"Shut up."

As the ship grew a bit closer to them, Kylia's stomach knotted. It couldn't be…

"JACK!" she exclaimed.

"Woah, sweetheart, I'm righ' 'ere -- don' need to yell…" he said, startled.

"THAT'S -- THAT'S IT! THAT'S -- IT!" she cried hysterically.

"What's what?" he asked confusedly. "What are you talkin' about?"

"The ship! That ship! That one!" she replied, pointing at the ship in the distance. "That's it! That's my Estrella!"

"You sure?" he asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" she screamed. "Beeline for it! Follow it!"

Jack nodded and turned the helm toward the ship in the distance. After a little while, the course started to seem familiar.

"Looks like 'e's goin' to Port Royal…" Jack mumbled watchfully.

"That's close, right?" she asked. "Because I want my ship back now."

"Aye, it's close…" he replied offhandedly. "But… if this bloke is as bad as you say 'e is… then… won' 'e be tryin' to sack it…?"

"I guess so." she said. "…Why?"

"Well, I got friends there -- I don' want anythin' to 'appen to them…" he told her.

"Well, we get the Estrella back and there's no doubt that Hart'll be dead." she stated. "Don't worry about it." Jack nodded and they continued sailing tensely. Finally, they'd followed the ship to its destination -- Jack was right. It was Port Royal. They arrived a little while after the Estrella did. Kylia was waiting at the edge of the ship to jump onto the Estrella as soon as she could. They came up beside the docked ship and Kylia swung across on a rope. She went to the door that lead to the lower levels and leaned up against it to wait for Hart's arrival.

Just then, Hart boarded the Estrella, lugging a girl behind him.

"Quit struggling, wench!" Hart ordered the girl. "You hear me! It'll do you no good!" He started for the door Kylia was at, not paying attention to his surroundings. The girl was screaming for help.

"Why, Hart, it's been ages, you bastard." Kylia said, faking a friendly tone. Hart looked up at her sharply, still holding tightly onto the girl.

"…H-Halen…" Hart stuttered, being the only thing he could say.

"Yep, it's me." she replied. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like my ship back, alright?"

"Hey, I--" Hart was cut off by a man coming up behind him and trying to attack him. Hart let go of the girl and pulled out his sword quickly, intending to fight the man. The poor man had no weapon, but seemed to be angry like nobody's business… It was no contest. Hart quickly held his sword up to the man's neck and he froze. Hart went around behind the man and stationed himself there, keeping his sword where it was. "Halen, get off my ship."

"Like hell it's your ship!" Kylia exclaimed angrily. "_You_ get the fuck off _my _ship!"

"I'll kill this man if you don't get off." Hart stated.

"I don't know who he hell he is -- why should I care?" Kylia asked.

"Oh, please, Halen." he scoffed. "Like you're not just as merciful as you always were? Even though that's what makes you weak, it's to my advantage, isn't it?"

Jack and the crew of the Pearl had come aboard and were being given quite a task, fighting with crewmembers of the Estrella. They were strong and fast and merciless. Kylia glared at Hart.

"So, get off and I'll let this man go." Hart stated. The girl he had been restraining was now being held by another one of Hart's crew. "Don't lie, Halen, I know what you really are."

"…And that would be?" she asked.

"Just what I said. A weakling." he replied bitterly. "Too much mercy."

Kylia bit the inside of her cheek, bottling rage. She had to keep a clear head. Plus, why should this man die because of her…?

"What about the girl?" she asked him. "Will you let her go, too?"

"Sure." he replied. "I'll just get another one somewhere else."

Kylia glared at him with pure hatred. She could see that the crew of the Pearl couldn't beat the crew of the Estrella. Besides… these innocent people…

"I'm going to kill you someday, Hart." she told him. "I really am. This ship will _never_ be yours." Hart laughed at her. She sighed. "Let them go." Much of the Pearl's crew had already retreated and gone back to the ship -- many nearly lost their lives. Hart released the man he had been threatening and motioned for his crewmember to release the girl.

"Goodbye, Halen." Hart bid her tauntingly. "I'll miss you dearly. Now, off my ship."

She gritted her teeth in anger and looked at the man and woman. "Come with me." They nodded and Kylia went to the railing of the ship. She ran her hand over the railing for a moment and looked back scornfully at Hart who grinned at her. She grabbed a rope and swung back over to the Pearl -- the man and woman followed suit. The rest of the Pearl's crew retreated and Hart gave the orders for the Estrella Grande to set sail.

Kylia angrily smacked herself in the forehead and let out a cry of frustration. Just then, Jack came up on deck. Kylia watched the Estrella sail farther away from her.

"Shit." she stated angrily. "Shit shit shit."

"Will! Elizabeth!" Jack exclaimed, coming over to them. "'ey! What a surprise! What brings you 'ere?"

"Oh, you… know these people?" Kylia asked him, recovering from her anger a little.

"O' course I do!" he replied, pleased to see them.

"Well, good…" she said. "Glad I didn't waste my chance to get my ship back for nothing…"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"She made that man let us go -- in exchange for her to leave." Will piped in. "Thank you, Miss." Kylia nodded, sighing. "He was going to kill us…"

"Well, he was going to kill _you_, maybe." Kylia stated. "Not you, though." she said to Elizabeth. "Would've been worse…"

"Well, thank you…" Elizabeth replied, still a little shaken up.

"Ah, Kylia, I'm proud o' you!" Jack exclaimed, clapping her on the back. "That was a great thing you did." She nodded, sighing again. "So, Will, Elizabeth, 'ow are you doin'?"

"Alright…" Will told him. "We've been--"

"Before you speak, William," Elizabeth interrupted, "Jack, take me back ashore."

"What?" Jack asked. "Before we get to catch up? Why?"

"I don't want to be near this man." Elizabeth stated, referring to Will.

"Elizabeth!" Will exclaimed. "I just tried to save your life!"

"That doesn't mean I forgive you!" Elizabeth cried. "Jack, now, please!"

Jack shrugged and nodded. He ordered one of the crewmembers to ready a lifeboat.

"Elizabeth, you're making a mountain out of a molehill!" Will yelled. "Honestly!"

"I said I didn't want to talk to you!" she screamed at him, turning her back.

"Why do you have to be so crazy!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, sure, _I'm_ the crazy one!" she cried. "When it's _you_ who can't decide what on earth you even want in life! Don't talk to me!"

Will sighed in annoyance and turned to Kylia. "Anyway… I didn't introduce myself… I'm Will Turner."

"Oh, aye, I've heard a lot about you in stories." Kylia told him. "Kylia Halen, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you." Will said, taking her hand and kissing it.

"…You, too…" she replied. No one treated her like that… Wow…

The lifeboat was readied and Jack rowed Elizabeth to the shore. Kylia and Will started talking, waiting for Jack to get back. The more she talked to him, the more she started to worry about herself. She found Will very sweet and charming and handsome and understanding… She was afraid she was falling for him… This quick, though? It's not possible… is it? Jack returned to the ship and went to Kylia and Will.

"Ugh… where do we go now?" Kylia asked, distressed. "We have no idea where he's going…"

"'ey, love, did you think I'd let you down?" Jack asked. "I caught one o' 'is crewmembers an' locked 'im in the brig." Kylia smiled, sighing in relief.

"Thanks, Captain." she said, smiling. "Let's go question him. I'm really angry and I really want to hit someone."

"Sounds like fun, sweetheart." Jack replied. "Oh, wait a minute. Will, you want to join us? Adventuring, pirating… Come on… I've missed you, mate." Will thought for a moment. "An'… whatever's goin' on between you an' Elizabeth… maybe you jus' need to get away for a little while… So, you with us?"

"…Yes… yes, I am." Will told him.

"Great!" Jack exclaimed. "'ey, the more, the merrier, aye?"

Kylia was quite pleased about this… Well, Will was nice to talk to, that's all. Of course… that's all…

"Well, let's go do some questioning -- I need some violence in my life right now." Kylia stated. They went down to the brig and Kylia went into Hart's crewmember's cell. "Why, hello, there. What's your name?"

"…Adrian Crenshaw…" the man admitted. "But that's all I'm saying."

"Well, I guess Hart hired you, then -- I don't remember you." she said, faking a sweet tone. "Would you like to tell me where he's going now?" The man didn't answer. "Aww, I hoped you'd say that." She grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and pulled him up, slamming him against the wall. She punched him in the face. "How 'bout now? You want to tell me?" No answer. She smiled and punched him in the face several more times. She pulled out her sword and held it near his groin. "I'm sure you want to tell me now, right?"

"H-hey…" Crenshaw stuttered.

"Now." she stated. "I'm really angry at Hart and you have no idea how much I want to do this."

He stared at her for a moment and realized she was telling the truth. "…Isla De la Cólera…"

Kylia smiled. "See, that wasn't so hard." she said. "Though I'm a little disappointed at the same time… Ah, well. I suppose we let you go now." She shoved him forward and put her sword to his back. She forced him up on deck, Jack and Will followed. "Thanks for the information, buddy." She shoved him overboard. Will raised his eyebrows in surprise. She turned to them. "So, on to Isla De la Cólera, then."

That night, Jack heard footsteps up on deck. They'd dropped canvas -- what was anyone doing up there? He had nothing else to do, so he got up and went up on deck. Kylia was leaning over the railing, getting sick. Jack furrowed his brow and started towards her.

"You alrigh', darling?" he asked, coming to her side.

"…I'm -- fine…" she coughed. "Don't worry about me. Go back downstairs."

He looked at her worriedly. "No, 'ey, if you're not feelin' well--" she got sick again, "you should be in bed."

"No… it happens all the time, don't worry…" she told him.

"It 'appens all the time!" he exclaimed. "Tha's not good, sweetheart!"

"Whatever, Jack, I'm fine." she coughed. "Don't worry about me. …Just go back downstairs -- I'll be fine."

Jack sighed. "Alrigh', love…" He went back downstairs, wondering why Kylia doesn't do something about this…

It would take a week to get to Isla De la Cólera, and all they could do on the way was converse with each other, really. Will and Kylia had gotten surprisingly close. Kylia thought Will was gallant and charming, and Will thought Kylia was confident and interesting. Both regarded these qualities to be a breath of fresh air to each other. Jack was really busy with on-deck work and hadn't gotten to spend much time with Kylia -- he was actually starting to get a little jealous. Why would he be jealous!

Another night, Jack heard someone on deck again. Worried it was Kylia, he went up on deck. Sure enough, Kylia was leaning over the railing, getting sick again. He went to her.

"Darling, you got to do something about this." he told her. "It's not good."

"Stay out of my business, Jack." she coughed. "Just stay out of it."

"Kylia, you're… part o' me crew, even if it's only temporary… ergo, I care about your well-being." he said. "You're goin' to hack up your spleen at this rate."

She got sick again. "…J-just stay out of it, alright! I'm fine -- I'm always fine!"

"'ow often does this 'appen?" he asked. She didn't answer. "Kylia, your captain asked you a question."

She glanced back at him, pale in the face, and back down at the water below her. "…A couple times a week… nowadays it's getting to be almost every other day…"

"This is serious, love." he told her. "I'm goin' to 'ave you talk to Anamaria about it, alrigh'?"

"No." she stated, coughing. "I don't want anyone's help."

"Whether you want it or not, sweetheart, you're gettin' it." he pressed.

"Jack, just leave me alone." she told him, standing up straight. "I'll be fine -- I always am."

"So, what, you're jus' goin' to wait until you lose an organ to do somethin' about this?" he asked.

"Don't over dramatize." she said, heading for the door. He followed her. "I'm used to this -- don't worry about it."

"I _do _worry about it, love." he told her. "So I order you to talk to Anamaria about this."

She looked at him for a moment. "…No."

"I said, I _order_ you." he stated. "As _Captain_, I order you."

"…Fine." she replied irritably, and went downstairs to talk to Anamaria. Jack knew just how to get to Kylia. Since she, herself, used to be a captain, she respects the authority that any captain has (provided they're worth respecting).

"Anamaria?" Kylia called, knocking on Anamaria's door. A moment later, Anamaria opened it.

"Aye?" Anamaria asked. "Hey, you don't look so good…"

"Er… Jack told me to come and talk to you…" Kylia hesitated, embarrassed at having to ask for help.

"Well, come in, then." Anamaria told her. They sat down on Anamaria's bed.

"It's nothing important, Jack's just being crazy…" Kylia said, "but… I don't know… I've been getting sick a lot lately. It used to be a few times a week but now it's almost every other day…"

After talking for a few minutes about this dilemma, Anamaria came to a conclusion.

"Well… I think I've come to a conclusion." Anamaria stated. "But you're not going to like it…"

"Well… I can't talk to Jack without an answer, so…"

"…The problem here, Kylia… is… well… you drink too much." Anamaria told her reluctantly.

"What! So I drink! Big deal! What difference does it make! I've been drinking all my life and nothing happened! If anything, I've built up an immunity--"

"It doesn't work like that." Anamaria pressed. "It doesn't 'build up,' it wears down… Look… This is serious… You've got to stop."

Kylia faltered. "…Stop? You don't mean… stop… for good…?"

"Aye, stop drinking for good." Anamaria replied. "If you value your life, that is." she added, seeing Kylia's utter despair. "And chances are… you'll feel better, anyway. You don't feel healthy, do you?" Kylia shook her head distantly. "Well, that'll change, then. It's not… going to be easy, but… you're going to have to… This really is serious."

Kylia accepted this, but was not willing to give up rum entirely right away… It wasn't that easy! Sure, it sounds easy. Just drink water from now on -- NOT! She was really going to be struggling with this…

Kylia stormed back to her room and slammed the door shut angrily.

'I hate my life!' she thought, in rage. 'I hate it! It's all gone to hell!'

She picked up a vase that was innocently sitting on her dresser and smashed it against the wall opposite her. She kicked a chair and accidentally caused one of its legs to fly off. She crossed over to the other side of the room, looking for something else to break. When she didn't spot anything she could afford to break (as breaking the lantern would cause quite an annoying fire and possibly kill everyone), she pounded her fists against the wall angrily. She continually needed something to hit, so kept on abusing the poor wall. She threw her final punch as hard as she could into the wall with her left hand. She yelled in pain, having unintentionally broken three of her knucklebones. Of course, this didn't cheer her up any. She stalked over to her dresser, cursing loudly, and pulled out some bandaged in which she wrapped her hand. She finally flopped down, fuming, onto her bed, cursing her entire existence. After a few moments, there came a knock at the door.

"I don't want to talk to anyone!" Kylia yelled in a shrill, annoyed voice.

"Kylia, I--" Jack began, but was cut off my Kylia's angry rants.

"No!" she yelled. "I don't want to talk to ANYONE!"

"But Kylia, I jus' thought I could--"

"Fuck off, fuck off, fuck off!" she screamed, turning over and burying her face in her pillow. Jack sighed, a little hurt (…?) and leaned up against the wall, worrying.

After a few more moments, Will came upon Jack and spoke to him.

"Don' even try, mate, she's 'opeless." Jack stated irritably.

Will thought about this for a moment, but knocked on Kylia's door nonetheless.

"JACK, I TOLD YOU THREE TIMES TO FUCK OFF -- WHAT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THAT!" Kylia yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Erm, Kylia, it's Will… I was just a little worried…"

"Oh… Will…" Kylia said, her tone changing entirely. "Erm… well… you don't… really need to worry about me, you know…"

"Well, I heard about this… erm, problem of yours and have also heard from Anamaria what you have to do… about giving up rum…" Will stated, trying to offer some kind of consolation to her. "I… think it's a really difficult thing for you to do and… well, I commend you agreeing to try."

Kylia paused. "Erm… Will, you don't need to stand out there, why don't you come in?"

Jack watched Will enter the room with a furrowed brow. What was going on? Jack thought he was just being paranoid when he thought something was going on between Will and Kylia, but… this is… well, proof, isn't it? Kylia doesn't open up to anyone, really, even when they showed her kindness like Jack had… This sudden _thing_ going on between Will and Kylia was seriously alarming him. Will needed to think about Elizabeth here! He can't just throw it away! Jack, not being the match-making type at all, and scowling at the mere thought of the term, still thought Will and Elizabeth belonged together and that there was no doubt of it. Jack had to find some way to stop this. For Elizabeth. Yeah… for Elizabeth…

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Okay, well, I hoped that wasn't a letdown for you guys... As with basically all of my fics, the story becomes most focused on the characters, rather than the actual adventure... Hey, some people like that! I mean, look at all the people who worship Moon Child! It's basically the same thing. Sort of. Without Gackt, Hyde, and vampires... Oh, yeah... Moon Child is a Japanese movie starring Gackt and Hyde (Jrockers). Erm... anyway, I digress! I hope you all are enjoying it so far! And I hope to update faster than I did last time!

PLEASE REVIEW! I love you all!

Oh, by the way, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is AMAZING. I saw it every day for three days straight. It was brilliant andHILARIOUS and better than the first adaptation (if you can call it that...). Everyone go see it because it's fun!

I am also heartbroken by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I shan't give any spoilers, but I am devastated. DEVASTATED. It was a good book, but my love for the series has taken a severe blow... Anyway... yeah...


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